India Approves 130 Million Rupees for Seafarers' Welfare Centre at Mormugao Port, Goa

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 25, the Seafarers' Welfare Fund Society of India approved the construction of a seafarers' welfare centre at Mormugao Port in Goa, with an estimated total investment of approximately 135.2 million rupees, fully funded by the Seafarers' Welfare Fund Society. The project's technical assessment, conceptual planning, and preliminary cost estimation have been completed, and it has now been approved to enter the implementation phase, with the Mormugao Port Authority as the construction executing agency.

The project is located in the Headland–Sada area, covering an area of approximately 5,500 square metres with a building area of approximately 1,475 square metres. It will involve the demolition of existing buildings and the construction of a new four-storey above-ground reinforced concrete structure, while preserving conditions for future vertical expansion. The accommodation section includes 14 guest rooms, 3 deluxe suites, and staff accommodation facilities.

Supporting facilities include a restaurant, outdoor dining area, kitchen, conference hall, library, recreation room, indoor games area, gymnasium, swimming pool, stage, foreign currency exchange counter, souvenir shop, and 25 parking spaces. The works also include renovation of ancillary buildings, site roads, boundary walls, and landscaping.

Mechanical and electrical works will include HVAC, water supply and drainage, fire protection and alarm systems, CCTV, access control, elevators, solar water heating systems, photovoltaic power generation, rainwater harvesting, and pump rooms. The project is implemented in accordance with relevant standards of India's Central Public Works Department and is incorporated into the seafarers' welfare framework of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006.

India's Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, confirmed the funding approval in a letter to South Goa MP Viriato Fernandes. Fernandes had previously submitted proposals on June 5 for improving Goa's maritime infrastructure and seafarers' welfare, including the construction of a seafarers' club, improvement of seafarers' shore leave facilities, and strengthening of local maritime training capacity.

In addition to the welfare centre project, the Indian government is also studying the integration of existing maritime training institutions in Goa into the Indian Maritime University system, while advancing the simplification of seaport immigration procedures and seafarers' shore leave permit procedures. This part belongs to the concurrent adjustment of the seafarers' service system and is not included in the main works of the aforementioned welfare centre.